OTW

[stripermaineiac]

Catch n release tournaments aren't that easy to keep going. The Tri State Fishing Tournament of New England has been going since the 60's. When we went C + R way back the attendance dropped off. Now we're lucky to get 20 participants a leg. The biggest reason was we didn't kill big fish. It's amazing how many people say Catch n release in public but still want pics of piles of big fish they caught during a Derby or Tourny. I still fish the Derby myself but I only keep a couple fish a yr. So some of what we preach isn't all that easy to keep going. Striper Cup is just another lottery. Look at the money any lottery brings in. Not everyone thinks as we do as only a small few are in clubs or on sites like this. Our actions speak for us but the problem is way beyond OTW or Striper Cup. A lot of anglers don't want to hear polatics an such they just want to be able to go fishing ,have a good time and not constantly hear the negatives. Catch n release is only a small part of the fix. By catch is a way bigger problem. OTW does get the word out so there is some mind set that helps. The Striper Cup will go the way the Scheaffer Tournament did in time. We need to use the media to get the word out better by publishing some of the stories we know comparing then to now. It gets people thinking.

[scottw]

Originally Posted by stripermaineiac

Catch n release tournaments aren't that easy to keep going. The Tri State Fishing Tournament of New England has been going since the 60's. When we went C + R way back the attendance dropped off. Now we're lucky to get 20 participants a leg. The biggest reason was we didn't kill big fish. It's amazing how many people say Catch n release in public but still want pics of piles of big fish they caught during a Derby or Tourny. I still fish the Derby myself but I only keep a couple fish a yr. So some of what we preach isn't all that easy to keep going. Striper Cup is just another lottery. Look at the money any lottery brings in. Not everyone thinks as we do as only a small few are in clubs or on sites like this. Our actions speak for us but the problem is way beyond OTW or Striper Cup. A lot of anglers don't want to hear polatics an such they just want to be able to go fishing ,have a good time and not constantly hear the negatives. Catch n release is only a small part of the fix. By catch is a way bigger problem. OTW does get the word out so there is some mind set that helps. The Striper Cup will go the way the Scheaffer Tournament did in time. We need to use the media to get the word out better by publishing some of the stories we know comparing then to now. It gets people thinking.

so true....the important thing is the direction of the trend, and while it may seem sluggish, OTW has moved in what might be considered a positive direction over time, as DZ pointed out, there is evolution at work.....that's a good thing if it's being nudged in a way to your liking....I don't think we ever would have believed a year ago that most of the coast would be 1 bass....so many tourneys and clubs would be featuring c&r....or that publications would be more and more cautious in choosing their content, it's good.....and as stripermaniac notes other things need to be addressed while the positive momentum exists

[MikeToole]

It is very difficult to convince many people that they should practice catch and release as long as there is commercial fishing for stripers. At a minimum it gives them an excuse to justify killing most of the stripers they catch. Yeah it is a weak excuse and we all know recreational fishing kills more fish but it is a justification for many. Being originally from NJ when ever I fish down there I hear it all of the time. Even in our club up here we find many of our members want to continue with the kept categories for our club tournament. Plus for many in NJ they haven't seen the numbers decrease at the levels we have seen up on the North Shore, Maine and NH, so they don't see as great a need. Problem is when they do it will be way to late. I don't think we will see any more limit changes in the next few years so while continuing to push catch and release a focus on the release part may be the best thing we can do. Getting people to crush the barbs on their hooks, replace the back treble hook on plugs with a single hook or flag, don't grab them where you contact the gills, and circle hooks for bait. Many of the fishing practices we've been taught over the years were based on best method to catch and keep fish not for release. Need to change these practices.

[paradoxjim]

I'm fearful of all of the culling that we can anticipate will be happening. When the first fish is 29" and the one that comes later in the day is 43" long, how many "sport" fishermen will be "releasing" the 29" fish from the cooler and keeping the bigger fish?

It's got to be a mindset before the first line goes in the water. The guys contributing to this thread already have the "right" mindset to conserve our fish. We need to educate the guys that like the pictures of big, dead fish and let them know that killing is not in our best interest.